Overview
- OpenAI will begin showing ads to Free and Go ChatGPT users across 31 European countries starting August 24, with paid plans (Plus, Pro, Enterprise) staying ad-free.
- The company is relying on explicit user consent as the legal basis for personalized targeting in Europe and says users can withdraw consent at any time.
- Users who decline personalization will still see ads that are limited to contextual signals from the live conversation and rough location and will not use chat history or stored memories.
- Advertisers can buy inventory initially through agency partners such as Publicis, Omnicom, WPP, Havas, Dentsu and MediaPlus and OpenAI plans to launch a self-serve tool for smaller buyers later.
- OpenAI says conversations are not shared with advertisers and ads will be labeled and separate from responses, but privacy experts warn the consent-and-tiering model could push people toward paid, ad-free subscriptions and invite regulatory scrutiny.